With Tom Hanks on jury, tampering allegations lead to quick settlement

Actor Tom Hanks this week served on a jury at the downtown L.A. courthouse in a domestic violence case prosecuted by the L.A. City Attorney's Office. The case was not without controversy. (File photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Even when he’s trying to just fit in, actor Tom Hanks seems to become the center of attention.

The two-time Oscar winner was serving on a jury for a domestic violence case in downtown Los Angeles this week when the case was suddenly settled on Wednesday amid allegations of jury tampering.

The alleged tampering happened when a staff member with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office approached Hanks during a break to offer her thanks for his serving on the jury, according to the defense attorney on the case.

“She was seen with Mr. Hanks in the stairwell of the building when she came up to him and thanked him and said how everyone was impressed that a celebrity would be here,” said Andrew Flier, the attorney for defendant Oleh Yemets.

A colleague of the prosecutor had witnessed the meeting and reported it, Flier said.

Yemets was facing up to a year in jail and potential deportation to Russia if convicted of the accusations of a misdemeanor attack on his girlfriend. Instead, after the Hanks incident was disclosed, raising questions about jury tampering, a deal was struck under which Yemets agreed to pay a $150 fine to a charge of disturbing the peace.

“She might have been a little star-struck or was just being nice, but it’s an absolute no-no to approach a juror,” Flier said.

The name of the City Attorney’s Office staffer was not disclosed.

A spokesman for City Attorney Mike Feuer said he has been made aware of the situation and will review it.

Oscar Winslow, president of the Los Angeles City Attorneys Association, said the person was not a full-time deputy city attorney.

“She was one of the volunteers brought in by (former City Attorney Carmen) Trutanich,” Winslow said. “This is exactly why we were concerned about bringing in untrained people to prosecute cases.”

Advertisement

Representatives of Hanks did not respond to requests for comments.

Flier praised Hanks and his behavior during the trial, which began Sept. 4.

“He was completely professional and nice toward everyone,” Flier said. “He never tried to get out of this case, he spoke honestly and was not pretentious. He was warm and friendly and spoke to the other jurors and never asked for any special treatment.”

Flier said the abrupt end came in a case that had a number of other turns, including an effort by the victim to recant her charges and a plan to question the chief prosecutor in the case who he said had interviewed the victim without any witnesses present.

“This was a serious case for my client, who is a Russian national and who could have faced deportation even though it was a misdemeanor charge,” Flier said.

Flier said the original case came about when the girlfriend, who was not identified, called in to 9-1-1 to complain about an attack by Yemets. Nine minutes later, Flier said, she called 9-1-1 again to try to withdraw the complaint.

Flier said she also wrote letters saying the attack had not occurred, but officials insisted on filing the charges.